Vinyl flooring has many attractive benefits for homeowners, including durability and easy maintenance. They are perfect for pet owners or families with young children who want resilient flooring to stand up against scuffs and spills. But vinyl flooring isn’t necessarily appropriate in every room. Here is a closer look at whether or not vinyl flooring works in the living room.
What are the Benefits of Vinyl Flooring?
Vinyl flooring offers a variety of benefits. It’s a stylish yet economical alternative to hardwood floors and isn’t as difficult to clean and maintain as carpeting. Here are a few of the main benefits of vinyl flooring.
- Cost-Effective: Vinyl flooring is quite affordable compared to other alternatives. While the exact price will vary depending on the brand and thickness, there are plenty of attractive, cost-effective options. Vinyl flooring typically costs anywhere from $2.50 to $5 per square foot, and the national average for installing a vinyl floor is $2,217.
- Waterproof: Another attractive benefit of vinyl flooring is that it’s waterproof. Vinyl is the perfect flooring for kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and even living rooms because it repels moisture, which helps prevent damage or stains from spills. Plus, it can also be helpful for pet owners, who will have an easier time cleaning up after accidents.
- Easy to Maintain: Vinyl flooring is also easy to clean and maintain. Most varieties of vinyl flooring come equipped with a protective coating that repels dirt and stains. Vinyl can be cleaned with a broom, mop, or vacuum cleaner, and most substances wash right off. Plus, scratches and scuffs can usually be wiped away to prevent permanent scarring to the floor.
- Durable: Durability is another attractive feature of vinyl flooring. It stands up well to scratches and scuffs and resists dirt and spills, making it quite attractive to pet owners and families with young children who need a tough surface that can stand up to heavy traffic and activity in the house. If properly installed and maintained, a vinyl floor can last 20 years.
- Visually Appealing: On top of everything, vinyl flooring is also quite aesthetically pleasing. It’s available in many styles and patterns that can take on whatever look you want. You can find vinyl flooring that resembles wood, marble, stone, decorative tile, etc. With so many options available, you’re sure to find a choice that matches your interior design selection.
Different Types of Vinyl Flooring
There are also various types of vinyl flooring you can consider. Here is a look at the main features and benefits of each.
Vinyl Plank Flooring: Vinyl plank flooring is designed to resemble wood floors. It’s perfect for those who like the appearance of hardwood floors but want something a bit cheaper and easier to maintain.
Vinyl Tile Flooring: Vinyl tile is designed to look like stone tiles. Popular choices include marble, granite, or concrete. Vinyl tile is great for more intimate spaces that require tiles that can be cut and form-fitted into a particular space. Plus, it’s also more cost-effective than stone.
Vinyl Sheet Flooring: Vinyl sheet flooring is vinyl flooring used to cover large areas, and it comes in large, flexible sheets up to 12′ wide. Sheet flooring is great for covering large rooms and can be styled to look like stone, wood, or any other material.
Luxury Vinyl Tile: Luxury vinyl tile is a type of vinyl flooring that is thicker than the standard tile. The thickness gives it added durability and makes it appear more like real wood or stone.
Does Vinyl Flooring Impact the Value of a Home?
While vinyl flooring offers a variety of benefits, it’s not desirable for everyone. If the vinyl becomes worn out or dated, it may impact the value of your home.
As long as it’s well maintained and aesthetically pleasing, vinyl flooring won’t necessarily hurt the value of your home. But it may not raise the value the same way that hardwood or marble might.
So as long as you keep the floors clean and update them when necessary, it shouldn’t hurt your property values. However, if you’re looking to make an upgrade that will attract a higher offer when it’s time to sell, you may be better off with the real thing.
Is Vinyl Flooring Good for Living Rooms?
So, is vinyl flooring good for living rooms? The answer is yes, but you should be aware of the potential drawbacks. Vinyl flooring is more commonly found in bathrooms and kitchens because it’s waterproof and stain-resistant. But it can also be a good fit in the living room.
The living room is one of the places in the home that receives the most traffic, so it makes sense to have a highly durable, stain-resistant material to protect the floor. It comes in many styles that will match any interior design aesthetic.
But there are several disadvantages to vinyl flooring as well. It is sensitive to UV light, so it may become discolored over time if the living room has large windows. It’s also only resistant to light scratches and pressure, so if you have large pets or active children, it is still possible for them to damage the floors.
Plus, vinyl flooring has a limited impact on the resale value of your home and may even have a negative effect if the style is dated or the flooring is worn out.
So, you should take stock of the pros and cons before deciding whether vinyl flooring is right for your living room. But if you don’t mind the negatives, vinyl flooring is a durable and cost-effective flooring solution that works well in a variety of spaces, including the living room.
